Hondfast

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. An old form of betrothal, a solemn pledge between two people to marry ; to join two people in such a pledge, binding them to a promise of marriage
2. A solemn engagement or promise of marriage made between a couple ; to formally bind two people together through a vow of betrothal
3. A binding betrothal agreed by a couple before a wedding ; the act of pledging two people to one another in an early form of marriage

Etymology: "Hondfast" is an Old English word built from "hond," meaning "hand," and "fæst," meaning "fast" in the sense of firmly bound or secured. Its original sense was literal: to be held fast by the hand, bound by a handshake or a physical pledge. Old English legal and marriage customs made a hand-clasp a binding act, and the word carried that concrete gesture into the idea of a formal betrothal. Over time the word's sense narrowed to the engagement itself. It is attested in Old English and survived into Middle English, where it described a man or woman who had been betrothed, and its use as a noun for the betrothed person and as an adjective for being pledged followed the same path. The compound is transparent: the hand and the fast bond joined together in a single image of a promise made physically binding. Its later decline reflects the shift away from handfasting as a recognized form of marriage, leaving the word to survive mainly in historical writing and in discussions of older British customs.